This invention relates in general to lenticular imaging and relates more particularly to a lenticular image product presenting a flip image (s) where ghosting is minimized.
Lenticular images include an array of cylindrical lenses (or lenticules) in a lenticular material and a sequence of spatially multiplexed images that are viewed through the lenticular material so that different ones of the multiplexed images are viewed at different angles by the viewer. One image effect produced by the lenticular image is a depth or stereoscopic image where the lenticules are oriented vertically and one eye views one image of a stereo pair or sequence from one angle and the other eye views another image from the stereo pair. Another image effect is a motion image where different images on a motion image sequence are viewed by both eyes, while changing the angle at which the image is viewed. In this image effect, the lenticules can be oriented in either the horizontal or vertical direction and the lenticular material is rotated about the long axis of the lenticules. Other effects that combine these two effects, or form collages of unrelated images that can be viewed from different viewing angles can be provided. Other effects include zoom images (one or more images are zoomed from wide angle to narrow angle views), flip images (images of different scenes which may or may not be related), animation images (images simulate motion of an inanimate object), computer generated images, or combinations of different effects.
Lenticular images are formed by decomposing each of several images into image elements equaling the number of lenticules in the lenticular lens element. A set of image elements are multiplexed, one image element for each of the several images, for each lenticule. Thus, if there are ten images and one hundred lenticules, each of the ten images are decomposed into one hundred image elements, and a set of ten image elements, one for each image are associated with each lenticule.
The multiplexed images can be generated as a digital image file and scan printed directly onto a lenticular lens element having a recording layer or printed as a master print which is used to contact print on print media which is laminated to a lenticular lens element or which forms a recording layer of the lenticular lens element.
Typically, two to thirty images can be multiplexed into a single lenticular image.
A problem of ghosting arises when a lenticular image presents a flip image. Flip images are images of different scenes, which may or may not be related, that appear in succession as the viewer moves left to right relative to the image or as the lenticular image product is rotated about a lenticular axis. These flip images could be depth images, 2-D images, layered images, etc.
An A/B flip lenticular image 10 as depicted in FIG. 1, is a single physical image in which two different scenes are visible in succession as the viewer transitions from left to right relative to the image. In FIG. 2, Scene A is illustrated by a whole, champagne bottle 14 and Scene B (box 16) is the bottle 18 exploding. The two scene flip is often referred to as an A/B flip. Flip images are not necessarily limited to two scenes.
The ideal flip image would transition distinctly from one scene to the next with complete extinction of scene 1 prior to the appearance of the next scene. In reality, depending on the image content, the quality of the lenticular material, alignment precision of the film to the lenticular material, etc., complete extinction does not always occur prior to the next image coming into view. The viewer thus sees Image A completely and a less distinct version of Image B in the background until the viewer moves laterally to a point where only Image B is seen. The undesirable appearance of the less distinct image is referred to as ghosting.
Producing a two (2) scene flip image is accomplished by creating a composite digital file incorporating both images. Each image is digitally composed of a number of lines equal to the total number of lenticules required for the width of the final image.
The composite image is printed on film with one or more lines of image data (image element) for each scene printed under each lenticule. When displayed behind the lenticular material, sequential lines from a particular view will fill each lenticule. Thus, as all the lenticules are viewed simultaneously, a particular scene is projected to the viewer. In a flip image, the scene data are repeated a number of times to provide the same image as the viewer moves laterally for a short distance until the transition point to the next image is reached. At this point, the image xe2x80x9cflipsxe2x80x9d to the next image.
As shown in FIG. 3 assuming twenty (20) lines of image data are printed under each lenticule for a 2-flip image, each lenticule would have 10 lines of Scene A (lines 1-10 for lenticule No. 1) and 10 lines of Scene B (lines 11-20 for lenticule No. 1). Each successive lenticule has a progressive segment of images A and B printed until the whole scene is completed. As shown, successive lenticules 100xe2x80x2, 100, 100xe2x80x3, have respective lines 1xe2x80x2-20xe2x80x2, 1-20, 1xe2x80x3-20xe2x80x3.
For the purpose of this discussion, assume that the image projection of each lenticule to the viewer at a particular distance from the flip image provides each eye with views that are 3 lines apart. One eye perceives line 5 while the other eye perceives line 8. No problem occurs, if the physical factors of lenticular quality and image lenticular alignment is within specifications, until the viewer moves to a position where lines 8 and 11 are seen. Line 11 is of Image B while line 8 projects Image A. Now ghosting is evident until the viewer receives lines 11 and 14. This effect also occurs at the transition between lenticules. While viewing lines 19 and 20 of image B, line 1xe2x80x3 of the Image A under lenticule 1xe2x80x3 is also visible, creating ghosting.
Similarly, while viewing lines 1 and 2 of Image A, line 20xe2x80x2 of Image B under adjacent lenticule 1xe2x80x2 is visible, creating ghosting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,402, issued Dec. 3, 1996, inventor Taylor, discloses a method for producing an improved stereoscopic image in which adjacent lenticular image element sets are separated by image elements that are black or of another color, that are of varying brightness level, or that are printed with different exposure levels to improve stereoscopic viewing. The stereoscopic images are of the same scene. This patent does not address the ghosting problem of flip lenticular images.
There is thus a need to provide a lenticular image product having flip images that eliminates the ghosting problem.
The present invention provides a solution to the problems discussed above.
According to a feature of the present invention, there is provided a lenticular image product comprising:
a lenticular lens element having an array of lenticules; and
a lenticular image associated with said lenticular lens element said lenticular image including at least first and second adjacent flip images of different content having a transition region between said first and second images to minimize ghosting.
The invention has the following advantages.
1. A lenticular image product is provided in which ghosting between flip images is minimized or eliminated.
2. A lenticular image product is provided creating a pleasing transition effect between flip image.